This invention relates in general to vehicle disc brake assemblies and in particular to an improved anchor bracket for use in such a vehicle disc brake assembly.
Most vehicles are equipped with a brake system for slowing or stopping movement of the vehicle in a controlled manner. A typical brake system for an automobile or light truck includes a disc brake assembly for each of the front wheels and either a drum brake assembly or a disc brake assembly for each of the rear wheels. The brake assemblies are actuated by hydraulic or pneumatic pressure generated when a driver of the vehicle depresses a brake pedal. The structures of these drum brake assemblies and disc brake assemblies, as well as the actuators therefore, are well known in the art.
A typical disc brake assembly includes a rotor which is secured to a wheel of the vehicle for rotation therewith. The disc brake assembly further includes a brake caliper which is slidably supported on pins secured to an anchor or brake carrier bracket. The anchor bracket is secured to a non-rotatable component of the vehicle, such as the axle flange or steering knuckle, which is connected to the vehicle frame. The caliper includes a pair of brake shoes which are disposed on opposite sides of the rotor. The brake shoes are connected to one or more hydraulically or pneumatically actuated pistons for movement between a non-braking position, wherein the brake shoes are spaced apart from the opposite sides of the rotor, and a braking position, wherein the brake shoes are moved into frictional engagement with opposed braking surfaces of the rotor. For example, when the driver of the vehicle depresses the brake pedal, the piston urges the brake linings from the non-braking position to the braking position so as to frictionally engage the opposed braking surfaces of the brake disc and thereby slow or stop rotation of the associated wheel of the vehicle.
Typically, the anchor bracket includes a pair of arms interconnected by an inner tie. In some instances, the anchor bracket may also include an outer tie that also connects the arms. The anchor bracket includes two pairs of holes. One of the pairs of holes is adapted to receive bolts for securing the anchor bracket to the non-rotatable component of the vehicle. The other pair of holes is adapted to receive bolts or pins for slidably supporting the caliper relative to the anchor bracket. The arms of the anchor bracket have guide rails formed thereon. The guide rails are adapted to support a pair of friction pad assemblies for sliding movement. The friction pad assemblies include the brake shoes. During braking, the anchor bracket functions to transmit the braking torque through the associated vehicle component to the vehicle frame.
The arms straddle the rotor such that the rotor is positioned in a rotor channel provided in each of the arms. Typically, the anchor brackets are cast and then “finish” machined. Constraints of the casting processes prevent the “finished” rotor channels from being cast into the anchor brackets. Thus, the rotor channels are machined into the anchor bracket after the casting process. However, machining the rotor channels after casting increases production complexity and cost for the anchor bracket. Therefore, it would be desirable to reduce the amount of machining required for the rotor channels.